Artist's Statement
I was born into a 1960s world that that embraced surrealism, as a child I loved the Bonzos in programmes such as 'Do not adjust your set', The Pythons and later The Goodies. I listened to Gong (and its various offshoots), heavy with te surreality of David Allen, as well as the lyrical fancies of bands such as Genesis.
As a photographer I have always admired the work of photographers that have recorded the world they see in more 'off centre' way; Atget's dreamy Paris, Tony Ray Jones' horse seemingly queuing for a cup of tea or later, Martin Parr's examination of 1980s Britain or the Caravan Gallery recording the everyday strangeness of us; the British. Whilst all of these influences continue to be important to me I'm producing work that I consider to be personal to me, my own style and vision, yet still fitting into that flow of history. I wanted to place Atget into an age of digital photography whilst still staying true to his vision, I wanted to explore our love of cars without really showing a car as such and I've added on this site some examples of how you can 'play' with a phone camera yet still be that flaneur, seeking out the strange minutiae. Photography, for me, should be a living thing, forever looking, recording. enjoying, it should never be a chore, it requires a generosity of spirit and a willingness to shere. Whether it's a football match on a rainy February afternoon, a blissful day shooting a city or hours in the studio doing product shots, I get to play with my favourite toys, and someone pays me for it. As an artist I appreciate that priviledge. |